Monday 18 May 2009

Training today was humbling, which is a good thing; if weightlifting is teaching me anything, it is that ego is the enemy. There is ambition, and there is ego. There is what you think you should be doing, and there is what you are doing. Weights that are normally quite light, were quite heavy today and I had to like or lump it. So I liked it. Here is what I did:

1. Snatch: Work up to 91kg for 3 x sets of 2--This is where the ego bit me in the posterior. My Snatch was not firing on all cylinders and I knew it. I got all the reps bar the second rep in the second set, but they were not pretty as I was not extending properly and they were slightly in front. At least I got them though, ugly as they were.

2. Snatch Pull: Work up to 110kg for 3 sets of 2--These felt brilliant. I have never lifted 110kg in the Snatch position before and I feel stronger and more locked into this exercise every time I perform it. The weight did not feel heavy either. There is a video of my first set below.

3. Power & Squat Clean: Work up to 105kg for 3 sets of 2--Again, a light weight that felt very heavy due to the volume. Humbling to say the least. These got better as they went on and there is a video of the second set below. I focused on keeping a locked back and finishing my extending up, which is what I was not doing with the Snatch.

4. Back Squat: Work up to 140kg for 4 sets of 2--I was pretty fatigued by then and I had to rely on the discipline to get through these. Again, a case of a light weight feeling heavy. The squats got cleaner each set as I became more focused.

Here is a video of my 110 Snatch Pulls, my 105 Power Clean/Squat Clean double and an easy 55kg Clean and Jerk by Gillian who is competing in the women's competition in Austria next weekend. She is looking sharp and ready so I am looking forward to hearing the sound of tumbling records.